Chapter 52 - In Time (Patreon)

In the dense forest outside Water’s Bastion, monsters roamed. Twisted versions of animals altered by thick miasma preyed on each other and those foolish enough to wander into their territory. The older ones were bigger, earning titles and lore from the humans lucky enough to survive them.

For many, the forest meant death.

Yet there was a small patch of land deep within it that not even the strongest monsters would enter.

It was occupied by two girls training in a makeshift campsite.

One of them had messy, short black hair and black eyes. She wore shorts, boots, a sleeveless top, and a cloak she kept hanging past her shoulders, leaving them bare.

The other had long white hair and eyes like refracted light through a gem. She wore worn armor, a cloak around her shoulders, and a waistcloth belted to her hips. The layered clothes beneath were tight and easy to move in, as were the armor plates across her chest, shoulders, and legs.

Remi and Eden: the terrors of the Water’s Bastion woods. At least in the eyes of the creatures that stayed clear of them.

“You keep muscling with your arms when you’re pinned down. Always put your full body into your attacks. Make it a habit.” Remi gestured at Eden. “Again.”

Eden held a rapier in front of her face, standing straight, then swished it to the side. Her eyes glowed like neon lights, and she settled into a stance—blade pointed forward and raised near the side of her head.

To the unseeing eye, an aura of power blossomed around Eden. The flash was brief yet imposing. It was these very bursts that kept the monsters at bay. None dared come within even a mile of their vicinity.

The space where they trained was a shallow crater in the earth. It had originally been a flat meadow, but after a year of intense daily practice, the land had been worn down into an unnatural basin, with a campsite on its edge and an artificial cave the girls had dug together.

Remi began, “Don’t hes—”

Eden jabbed forward with her blade. The ground where she launched from burst as if a bomb had gone off beneath her feet.

The tip of the rapier came within a raindrop’s distance of piercing Remi’s eye.

Remi batted it away with the palm of her hand, then dashed to the right to create space.

“Very good!” Remi said, genuinely excited. “Sneaky! I like it.”

She said this while ducking a slice aimed at her neck.

When that attack failed, Eden twirled. Energy swelled from her body into her blade. She jabbed viciously into where Remi had just been.

But she was gone—several feet away already.

The blade struck the ground, released its energy, and burst.

It blew upward and outward as if a miniature volcano had erupted beneath the earth.

Eden dug her foot into the ground and pursued Remi. She swiped, stabbed, kicked, and jabbed at every chance she got.

Yet not a single strike hit Remi.

She parried or dodged every blow without so much as a bead of sweat leaving her forehead.

Until—

Eden stabbed her rapier at Remi’s chest, forcing her to sidestep right.

Eden grabbed a knife hidden in her clothes and threw it where she thought Remi would be.

Remi caught the blade between her fingers.

“That’s enough,” Remi said, signaling finality. “Good job.”

Sighing, Eden groaned and sheathed her blade.

“You’re moving perfectly. Like a master,” Remi said teasingly. “You’ll never beat me, but you’re doing really, really well. Know that I’m proud of you, as your dear mentor.”

“Eat a bag of dicks,” Eden cursed, shoulders rising and falling with exhaustion. The words came out between ragged breaths.

“Getting a bag of dicks would constitute a major war crime, and we’re trying to be incognito here,” Remi replied. She raised her hands. “And you shouldn’t get mad at me. What am I supposed to do when you’re stabbing me? I don’t have a sword. It’s all I can do to dodge,” she teased.

Eden fell to her knees, sighing. “I need a break.”

“It’s only been a few hours,” Remi complained. “Get up. You’ve only just mastered your mana heart. A war between Fields could break out at any second.. Time is in short supply.”

“Yeah, but twelve hours straight of fighting is my limit.” Eden dramatically flopped onto the ground, groaning. “Sooooo hungry.”

“We should have…” Remi peeked at their supplies in the cave they had made. “Nothing. We have nothing left.”

“Guess you should head into town while I sleep.” Eden pointed at Remi, already nearly lulled unconscious. “Perks of not having famous eyes. People can’t see me yet. Said so yourself.”

“I know.” Remi glanced up. It was still night. Her eyes traced the stars. Then, as if she had realized something, she froze.

Eden didn’t notice the gesture.

“I’ll be a little while,” Remi said quietly. “Don’t wait up.”

“I won’t!” Eden promptly fell asleep, still in her armor, right in the middle of the field scarred by years of battle. The ground itself had been worn down several meters.

Remi had to climb out of the crater to leave. She walked a few steps through the forest until she arrived at a cliff.

Down below, a giant artificial lake stood out in the moonlight, several hours away on foot. All around the lake, small towns had been constructed using earth mana.

One of the towns was bigger than the rest. Looking to the right of it, Remi could see a small castle through the trees. Castle Grey. Home to Baron Embers, lord of these lands, just on the border of Brosnock—far north of Port Prosper and Sandy Branch.

Remi began walking in that direction.

Alone.

•

“Have your entry pass and/or fee ready before you come to the gate!” yelled one of the five soldiers manning the main bridge into Water’s Bastion.

The entire city was under heavy surveillance.

Overnight, all devils had turned human. The world’s magic and infrastructure had disappeared. Trade routes were disrupted, technology fell apart, and mass communication vanished. Society regressed several decades. The very concept of a “kingdom” no longer seemed meaningful, so territorial areas invoked martial law. There were riots in the initial confusion, but with no one possessing magic and soldiers still trained to use weapons, the first revolts were easily put down—even if several thousands of people had to die across the world as a result.

Water’s Bastion was but one of many places where this had happened. Baron Embers and his soldiers in Castle Grey had quelled rebellions in the town, but thankfully, its major infrastructure centered on agriculture. That had not been disrupted much by “the Fall,” as people dubbed it.

Though integration of the “former devils,” and the loss of their slaves, had created “societal concerns” that still were not solved.

Remi stood fifth in line. She calmly watched as a guard at a table checked people in while four others, all holding weapons, stared down the queue. Archers overhead watched the line as well. They could easily close the main bridge and start firing at rioters if needed.

But Water’s Bastion was mostly peaceful. Unlike other areas, they had multiple high-yield farms nearby. It softened the blow of world-wide change, but not entirely. Just better than most places.

When it was Remi’s turn to enter the city, she smiled brightly at the guard, who smiled brightly back.

“Good day, Remi. How goes it?” the guard asked.

“Nothing much. Running out of supplies in my camp. Need to restock,” Remi replied politely. She clasped her hands gently in front of herself, pushing her chest out just a little.

“Well, you hit it at the right time. The farmer’s market is up and running.” He gestured toward a small village of refugee tents on the outskirts of town. “We had to fight off some freewheelers, but there should be some good options at the market today. I heard there’s even meat.”

“And luckily, I have coins.” Remi smiled brightly and turned into the city. “Bye-bye!”

The guards stared after her.

“You know where she’s from?” one asked the men who had let Remi in.

“Not a clue.” He craned his head to watch her go. “But I’m in love.”

Inside the city, people were out and moving, but a heavy tension hung in the air. It did not stop life. People still laughed, shopped, and spent their coins. The economy wasn’t broken, thankfully. The infrastructure was, but it was slowly being rebuilt with older tech and systems. Luckily, codexes still worked. Trade and storage was still possible. Without that, things would have been dramatically worse than it already was.

Guards roamed the streets in droves. People promptly stepped out of their way, staring after them until they passed. In years past, guards were hardly seen in Water’s Bastion. They kept to themselves and stayed out of sight until something happened. With the way the world was now, however, they made their presence known.

Remi stepped aside and lightly bowed as a group of twelve soldiers passed her. Eleven of them were mere grunts, but the one at the front pulsed with mana.

We’re going to see an interesting little realignment of the power hierarchy, aren’t we? she thought as she lifted her head. The first few thousand people to figure out skills and the depths of this Field’s new system will rewrite history. But for now, simply knowing how to harness mana seems enough to separate humans from superhumans.

Shrugging, Remi moved into town—not toward the farmer’s market, but toward the wealthy center ring of the city.

Her gaze lingered on the rooftops as she walked. She imagined running across them in the dead of night.

Eventually, she arrived at a park in the rich center ring of town. Trees and flowers brightened the space even in these hard times. The nobility and wealthy merchants still occupied the area. If she hadn’t seen the camps outside town and the increased guard presence, she might not have noticed much difference.

“Some things feel the same,” she remarked while looking at a particular bench in the square. It was ornamental now, not meant for sitting as she had once done. “But everything changes.”

Guards walked past her.

“I hear Nigel and Alexander are holding a practical in the castle today for the new cadets,” one said.

“Haha! Sure! A practical. Bet one of the cadets is setting them up,” jokes another. 

Remi looked up at the sky, frowning. “I should stop dawdling and go buy food.”

She turned her back on the luxurious part of Water’s Bastion, ending her little tour earlier than she had expected.

The guard presence was heaviest where the food was. It wasn’t that there wasn’t enough. There was. The problem came from the influx of thieves from across the country who had migrated toward Water’s Bastion during the Fall. Brosnock had cut off its borders and stopped sending in food due to the crisis. Zalevet had heavily relied on them to supplement what it could not make, so the small regions in Zalevet that did produce food suddenly became the most important provinces in the country—even outside the capital, Camden.

“Hey!” One of the guards snagged a kid stealing apples from a stand. He yanked him up by the collar and held him in the air. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“P-Please!” the kid cried. “My sister’s starving! Let me go! She needs me!”

“No.” The guard tossed the boy to another guard. “Ten lashes and a night in jail. No food. Let him go in the morning.”

“Yes, sir.”

Restrictions were severe. Starving people lingered at the edges of the market. Given the immense demand and lack of supply, the regional codex prices had automatically shifted to compensate. An apple that would have cost 0.4 coins in the past now cost 2. Most could not afford them, let alone starving refugees fleeing their homes.

“Jerky and bread, please.” Remi stood in front of a vendor selling more expensive products. She had waited patiently in line behind a butler for a wealthy family in town. “Enough for a month.”

“That’ll cost you around 450 coins, ma’am,” the vendor said slowly.

“Agreed.”

A small blue square made of light appeared in front of both of them. It was visible only to the pair. A prompt appeared, and they both selected “Yes.”

“One second.” The vendor took a sizeable basket, filled it with the requested supplies, and handed it to Remi.

The coins instantly transferred from Remi’s codex to the vendor’s.

“Pleasure doing business with you.” Remi took the basket, dipped her head briefly, and turned away.

She briskly walked out of the market, humming a tune. When she was in the clear, with few people around, she opened a codex portal with her hands and slipped the food inside—out of sight and out of mind, and no longer at risk of being stolen.

She then paused in the middle of the street.

For a while.

She stared into the bright sky overhead.

“Doing foolish, pointless things means I’m alive,” she whispered to herself. “I should check. Just in case. I think I’m right.”

She walked in the direction of Castle Grey, away from Water’s Bastion.

The long, well-maintained cobblestone path led through an extravagant forest slightly uphill. Small groups of guards passed Remi as she silently strolled onward.

Then the castle came into view.

Massive walls surrounded the large estate. Archers could easily have manned them in the event of a siege. One main drawbridge led in and out. Carts of supplies crossed inside as Remi watched.

She dipped left into the forest, out of sight, and walked along the side of the walls. Even though archers and knights could easily have been placed along them, most were in the city. The castle held a few elite soldiers, trained new recruits, and housed Baron Embers. The rest were needed to control the local populace, especially with the way the world was.

Remi leapt up the wall, far taller than ten men standing on each other’s shoulders, and landed along the walkway running across the entire fortified structure. Even up high, no soldiers patrolled the top. Most were below in the courtyards, training, or by the main gates, handling the new influx of foot traffic and supplies.

Inside the walls were several segmented courtyards with gates. In the event of a siege, each could be cut off to prevent invading forces from overrunning the place too quickly and to create choke points for archers to rain down on them. Without invaders, though, they were beautiful squares filled with fountains and flowers.

Servants—men and women alike—fluttered past the open windows of the castle. Some worked in the courtyard, cleaning and maintaining the space. Others carried in water or helped with the supplies out front. Guards chatted or walked the corridors and empty spaces, most bored with their duties.

Except near the back of the castle, in one of the segmented courtyards.

“Place your bets, people! Place your bets!” a voice called. “Who will win today’s duel? Will it be Alexander, our walking mountain, who hasn’t said a serious sentence in ten years, or Nigel, the most likely contender to replace Captain Van Gallen in the event of his sudden death?!” There was a pause. “The current streak has Nigel at a whopping twenty-five wins to Alexander’s seventeen. Place your bets, people!”

Remi quietly crossed the castle walls until she had a full view of the event.

A small crowd of cadets—evident by their youth and lack of gear—surrounded two people in the middle of the courtyard square, which was open and lined with training gear and weapons. One of the men was tall, blond, and smiling. He wielded a two-handed sword as if it weighed nothing. The other was lean and serious, with dark brown hair, giving off a hero’s vibe. He had a single short sword in his hand, primed and ready to fight.

“We can’t have my winning streak ruined today,” said Alexander. He tossed his blade between his hands, twirled it, then readied his stance. “But I’ll go easy on you if you beg.”

“Whatever you say.” Nigel wasn’t fazed. He didn’t perform any fancy sword moves or shift his position. He was already primed. “This is for the cadets, not for betting.” His eyes darted to the right, landing on an older cadet with shaggy black hair. “And you. When this is over, you’ll run until you vomit.”

The black-haired boy flinched and looked at Alexander. “You’ve gotta win!”

“Hey, someone believes in me! How sweet.” Alexander laughed. “Come on, Nigel. Lighten up. This type of thing is good for them to see every once in a while.”

They readied themselves to clash.

“They never change,” Remi muttered. She leaned against the edge of the wall, grinning.

There was tension and cheering as everyone waited for the bout to begin.

Nearby, two large castle doors connected to the courtyard.

They opened.

Out stepped three people: two men and one woman.

One looked like a bull suddenly granted human form. He didn’t wear any armor, but his muscles looked as if they could take a blow from a sword and merely bounce it off. His skin was deep tan, a sign that he spent plenty of time outdoors. His hair was short on top and wholly shaved on the sides and back. A large scar decorated the sides of his mouth, as if a blade had been pushed in one side and out the other. It only made him look more intimidating. Not only that, he towered over everyone like a living giant.

The second was an older gentleman, roughly in his forties, with graying hair tied back into a ponytail. The shadow of a beard played across his lips. His frame was thin but agile. His beady black eyes scanned the courtyard, dissatisfied.

And beside them both stood a young woman with short black hair, a thin body, and dark clothing.

Nigel immediately put his sword away, set his feet together, and placed a hand on his chest. “Captain!”

The cadets scrambled to do the same, following with a chorus of “Captain!” while Alexander threw his sword aside, spun around, and mirrored the posture.

The man with the ponytail chuckled. “It seems your cadets are bored, Van Gallen. You don’t work them hard enough.”

“It seems that way, Talbert,” replied Van Gallen with a chuckle. “Not everyone can be as disciplined as Remi.”

“Thank you for the compliment,” remarked the black-haired girl beside them.

Remi, standing on the walls overlooking the courtyard, stared down at the group with a sad smile. “The gang’s all here.”

“Cadets!” Van Gallen shouted. “Line up!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Remi, work with Van Gallen today,” Talbert said. He turned to go back inside the castle. “I’ve business to take care of. You’re relieved of your duties for the time being.”

“Yes, sir.”

The Remi on the walls watched Talbert leave, eyes narrowed.

•

Hours later, it was night in Water’s Bastion.

“I’m hungry,” a child, likely around the age of eight, complained to his mother. His stomach growled as if to reiterate the point.

The mother, ever smiling, leaned down toward her child, though sadness laced her expression. “We can’t eat until dinner. I’m sorry, baby.”

The child’s eyes darkened. “But I’m hungry now!” he cried.

Nearby, a group of men occupied a large bar. It was sparse with people. They quietly drank at messy tables, women nowhere in sight. The burden of work and the pressure of the world crushed them into numbing the anxieties that plagued them daily since the Fall.

There were still people out and about, but they weren’t as lively as in years past. Yet with a year having passed since the Fall, some semblance of normalcy was returning. It would likely still take more time before people felt comfortable with the new world they had found themselves in. At the same time, everyone knew nothing would ever be the same again. The persistent tension sat at the back of everyone’s mind, even as they shopped, ate, drank, and screwed. Life moved on. It had to.

Two women around the age of seventeen talked with one another as they walked through the streets. Crowds moved around them. Vendors desperate for sales called out to them, offering products. Drunken, bored men slung foolish, flirtatious words their way. They continued onward, chattering, letting nothing distract them.

“Did you hear the Baron is planning to hold a festival?” asked the first woman, Laurel. Short, fluffy brown hair bounced around her oval, pretty face. “Apparently, he wants to honor the year since the Fall. Make everyone see the optimism in our perseverance.”

“I’ve heard. Sarahi is going,” said the second girl, Rayne. Her dark hair normally fell seamlessly over her shoulders. For that day, though, she had it tied in a tight ponytail. She smiled. “And that brother of hers.”

Laurel scoffed. “That asshole?”

“Hush! He’s not an asshole.”

“He is. To you especially.”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

“Promising you marriage so he could sleep with you is asshole material,” Laurel said bluntly.

“H-He’s just not stable yet, is all. And who can blame him in the times we’re living?” Rayne excused.

Laurel frowned. “You’re too good for him.”

“At least I have someone,” Rayne huffed.

“Do you?”

Both girls frowned, silently deciding to drop the topic.

Rayne and Laurel looked back at the men who had catcalled them. The men had long since forgotten the girls, but the girls had not forgotten them. Then they both looked away, exhaustion on their faces. Rayne knew deep down she had been used by Sarahi’s brother. Laurel had been through something similar in the past. Both wanted security, yet there was none in the world. Not for anyone.

“I’d rather just be with you,” Laurel muttered absentmindedly. “I feel better by your side.”

“Same,” Rayne grumbled. “Men are exhausting.”

At an intersection, Rayne and Laurel split off toward their respective homes. Activity grew sparser near the edge of Water’s Bastion’s inner ring. The sounds of their own footsteps became their only accompanying melody.

“I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” Laurel waved to Rayne before trudging away.

“Later!”

Alone, Rayne pouted, staring at Laurel’s retreating back before turning away. She glared at her shoes in annoyance. “That was my chance, and I talked about a guy I don’t even like anymore. Idiot!”

The streets thinned out even further as Rayne made her way home.

“Do I ruin our friendship or say something to her?” Rayne mentally steeled herself. “We can never marry, but I don’t think that matters. Not to me. As long as I’m with her, I’ll be happy. There doesn’t need to be some official thing to signify our love if it’s real.”

A man slept on the ground. His cloak covered his entire body while his hood remained over his head, acting as a sort of cushion and keeping him from grinding too harshly against the stone.

Rayne passed him without a word. Her mind still lingered on her interactions with Laurel.

“Hmmm?” the man groaned. “Oh, excuse me…miss?” The words were kind. Unassuming.

“Huh?” The girl blinked. She noticed the man for the first time and grew nervous. “Y-Yes?”

The cloaked man stood and rubbed the back of his head. His face was still largely hidden by his clothing, but she could see a mess of hair hanging around it. “You got the time?”

“O-Oh, yes.” Rayne nodded. She reached into her pocket for a small watch she carried.

A hand latched over her face.

Before Rayne could even shriek, she was dragged quickly between two houses. Her body was lifted effortlessly by the man’s single hand. Shocked by this, her words choked in her throat. Her back slammed against a wall as a face grew nearer to her own.

“First, I’d like to express my deepest apologies to you,” said the man. “Normally, I’d be a little more selective in my prey. You’re not really my type in these matters. Alas, I’ve been out of the game for a bit. I need some easy practice. You’ll have to do. Don’t worry, I’ll treat you just as well as all the others. It’s only fair,” the man cooed as if consoling a child. “I already have a place lined up for our entertainment. I may mess up a bit. Yes, quite a bit. I am out of practice, after all. Oh? Did I already say that? I think I did,” the man muttered awkwardly. “It’s better to mess up on you than the ones I want. They’re special. They need a master’s touch. I can’t mess up. I need to focus.”

Fear stunned Rayne. She was unable to breathe.

“Hello?” a voice suddenly called out. “What’s going on over there?!”

The attacker turned away, slightly loosening his grip on Rayne.

At the edge of the alley stood a young woman with black hair and eyes, dressed in shorts, a sleeveless shirt, boots, and a cloak that she let hang past her shoulders. She was shaking, eyeing the situation fearfully like a doe in the woods sensing a threat. 

“What are you doing to her?! Get off her!” she shouted. Then, she stood straighter and smiled. Her entire demeanor changed. “Talbert.”

The man froze. The words shocked him into letting Rayne go.

Rayne fell, coughing, tears rolling down her face. She stared at her attacker, scrambled to her feet, and ran away in a panic, crying and gasping for air.

Talbert stepped out of the alley and toward the girl who knew his name.

“You do this shit every time. Every. Single. Time,” said the girl. “Even now, without your powers, you’re confident enough to kill and maime. I don’t even exist in this world. I was never your motivation. I was your excuse. I always was. Each and every time, without fail, you kill, kill, kill.” She slapped her hands together and looked up at Talbert. “Pathetic mongrel fuck.”

Talbert removed his hood. His graying hair spilled down his face. Shock burned in his eyes. “Who are you?” He pulled a large knife from his belt. “How do you know me?”

The girl grabbed his wrist without hesitation, pinning the hand that held the knife, and kicked his knee with all her strength. His kneecap shattered, causing him to drop the knife and collapse.

“Gah!” he screamed, nearly biting his tongue from the surprise and pain.

“Weakest version of you yet,” the girl said while still holding his arm. He was half-lying, half-lifted. 

She adjusted her grip and slammed her other hand into his elbow, breaking it.

Talbert screamed.

The girl dropped his arm.

He tried to crawl away.

She stepped down hard on the back of his broken knee, stopping him and making him cry out in pain.

“No. Don’t run. Stop. You’ll hurt my feelings,” said the girl. “You wanted to play with that girl, but not me? That hurts my feelings. I used to be special to you. What changed? What if I had red hair again? Would you like me then? That used to be your type.”

“Who the hell are you?!” Talbert cried, twisting and trying to free himself.

“Too many people,” the girl said calmly. “I’ve had thousands of names throughout centuries. Names you knew yet do not know. Felix. Scarlet. Eden. Kai. Venox. God. Most recently, Eve, and now Remi. Just taking the place of someone before me with that name. Ironic, huh? Well, you wouldn’t get it. A name is just a name. It can be easily replaced.”

She slammed her foot into his back. Amplified with her essence, it shattered his spine.

“Yet no matter how many times I live, I just can’t seem to let you go.” The girl grabbed Talbert by the neck and threw him into a nearby building, causing him to slam against it and flop onto the ground on his back, groaning. Nearby, guards could be heard rushing toward the scene. The sounds of their shouting and clanking of armor was dim yet growing in volume.

The girl did not mind.

Or rather, she didn’t care.

“Who am I? Someone you killed.” She grabbed Talbert’s head with both hands, forcing him to look at her. “And that saved my life.”

She twisted and pulled, wrenching his head from his body.

Blood splattered across her clothes.

She stared into Talbert’s dark eyes until the light fully faded from them. When it did, she dropped the head like a piece of trash and turned away.

“Time to get back to Eden,” she whispered.

•

When the girl returned to the clearing in the woods, Eden was swinging her sword. She chained attacks together in consistent patterns, showing dedication and power worthy of a master.

She stopped, however, noticing a presence, and saw the girl return.

“Remi!” Eden called, smiling. “How’s the haul?”

The girl, reminding herself she was Remi, smiled. “I got meat!”

Eden’s eyes lit up. “No shit?! How mu—”

Blue windows opened in front of Eden’s face, but it was visible to Remi, too.

FIELDS PROPERLY SYNCED. CONSISTENCY ESTABLISHED ACROSS THE KNOWN SPACES.

Eden and Remi stared in awe.

GOD WILL SPEAK TO YOU. REJOICE.